A hero's welcome, a new life in fame

When Michael Phelps left his mother's house in Rodgers Forge four years ago, he was - despite his six gold medals and his 19 years on Earth - still a boy in almost every sense.

Soon he'll return to Baltimore a 23-year-old man.

He'll return not to his mother's house in Baltimore County but to a condo in Fells Point that he bought for $1.7 million. In addition to eight more gold medals, he'll bring with him a longing for what he once left behind: family, old friends, NFL football and the familiar sound of Baltimore accents.

Life will be different. This much, he concedes.

Just how different, he isn't sure.

"I want it to be as close to [normal] as possible," Phelps said in an interview the day after he won his eighth gold medal, the most of anyone in a single Olympics. "But I have no idea. I'll be able to answer that question when I get back [to Baltimore] and see it firsthand. I have no idea what it's going to be like."

But others, including his coach, Bob Bowman, and some of Baltimore's most famous athletes, say that Phelps' life - especially in Baltimore - will be drastically different.

In the short term, there will be a parade, though no date has been nailed down. And there is every indication that he and Bowman will expand and improve the facilities of the North Baltimore Aquatic Club.

Phelps, though, is unlikely to begin training again until February at the earliest, and he won't swim a serious race until the 2009 FINA World Championships in Rome in late July.

"My mom has told me that I better make the team, because she wants to go to Rome," Phelps said. "I have the pressure from the mom, so I guess we have to get back into it and make that happen."

In the interim, there will be countless mornings when he does not climb out of bed until the clock strikes at least noon. There will be Ravens games, evenings on the town with childhood friends, beautiful women and all the spoils of fame. He'd even like to play in the World Series of Poker, if he can sharpen his game in time.

"I'm going to live my life the way I always have," Phelps said. "I'm going to do the things I've always done and hang out with the people I've always hung out with."

Will that be possible? In 2004, Phelps was a minor celebrity, the subject of numerous magazine profiles and two books, but he was never going to be swallowed up by his own fame. In Ann Arbor, Mich., he was just another athlete on a campus full of them, arguably less recognizable than the Michigan Wolverine football players bound for the NFL.

In 2008, though, he has become the rare athlete whose accomplishments lived up to, and even exceeded, the hype. Even in Baltimore - a city that prides itself on the fact that Johnny Unitas was, until his death, a regular at the Brooklyn Park basement bar and restaurant Club 4100 - Phelps might find it difficult to be a man of the people. Like it or not, times have changed.

Fells Point residents and businessmen aren't trying to make too much of Phelps moving into the neighborhood.

"He has been in here before, several times, with a big group of people," said Adrienne Williams, manager of the Dead End Saloon on Fell Street. "But I'd shy away from saying anything but 'Congratulations.' People come in here to chill out; you don't want to scare him away from the neighborhood."

Bowman said Phelps needs to realize that his life is going to change.

"I think it will be different, particularly for him, as far as recognition or public [adoration]," Bowman said. "And I think it's going to be different than he thinks it will be. It will be like whatever Cal [Ripken] goes through. But it will be good for swimming."

Former Orioles Hall of Famer Jim Palmer said he's routinely recognized in public but that most exchanges are pleasant.

"People are very complimentary. They say thanks for all the memories," he said. "To me, it's a form of flattery."

If he starts signing autographs on the street, a crowd might form, but most people are happy with a quick exchange, a handshake or perhaps a photo.

"You come to realize how simple it is to be nice and make someone's day," Palmer said.

He said privacy is harder for athletes in some cities. In Boston, a Red Sox star can't wander to a hotel checkout desk without being swarmed. But Baltimore stars have a long history of sliding comfortably into the community.

"Our models were the old Colts," Palmer said. "They used to tell us, 'If you're going to live here, we want you to be a part of it.' That might mean speaking or working for a charitable cause. ... It was easy to integrate into the society here."

It will be a difficult juggling act for Phelps, living the life of a 23-year-old while balancing his responsibilities as a corporate pitchman. Early speculation predicts he'll be worth $100 million over his lifetime to companies with products to push. But those companies expect him to steer clear of embarrassing situations.

He stumbled the first time he tried it, getting arrested for driving while under the influence shortly after the Athens Games; he was sentenced to 18 months' probation. There will be, once again, temptation at every turn. He has many high school friends who have expressed excitement over his return to town, ones who have been shooting him text messages throughout the week, teasing him and keeping him humble.

"It's going to be a cool time to catch up with all of them," Phelps said.

When a reporter said jokingly last week that Phelps was about to start living the real-life version of the HBO series Entourage, he laughed and acknowledged that it might not be far from the truth.

"It would be pretty cool to have, like, a Turtle and a Johnny Drama and those guys," Phelps said, referring to characters on the show. "That would be pretty neat. That's one of my favorite shows. It would be pretty cool to have someone who just drives you around all the time and plays video games. That would be fun."

His personal life will also be subject to a new level of scrutiny - an unavoidable trade-off that comes with fame. Already, the Internet has been flooded with rumors about whom he is dating, and being tailed by the occasional pack of paparazzi might be something he has to adjust to.

His Facebook page has exploded - he's closing in on 1.3 million fans and is just behind the No. 1 page of Barack Obama.

"I think it's going to be fine in Baltimore," Phelps said. "I don't think I'll get hassled. I think I'll be able to live my life how I want to live it. And people will respect that. That's the kind of town that it is. There are amazing people, there are so many amazing athletes that have come out of that city, and everyone respects everybody."

In Fells Point, residents and people who work there are hoping Phelps is given his space.

"People are dying to see him," said Catherine McGrain, 19, a dockhand at Henderson's Wharf Marina. "I got pretty excited when I heard about it. Maybe I could show him around town."

"I'm as happy as I could be. He sounds like a swell kid," said Lew Diuguid, 73, a Fell Street resident. Diuguid edits The Fells Pointer, a monthly newsletter.

"If he likes Fells Point, then we like him," Diuguid said. "But we'll also be looking for his help. For instance, I belong to the Baltimore Harbor Watershed Association, which works to clean up the environment - and, in Phelps, we've got a waterman if ever there was one."

But some are worried about sightseers.

"Somebody from the Olympics is moving to Fells Point? It'll probably get crowded down here," said Mike Bryan, assistant superintendant of maintenance of The Condominiums at Henderson's Wharf, who was hosing down the sidewalk in front.

Phelps will try to lie low, at least as much as possible. He'll be reunited with Herman, his English bulldog, and some evenings it will be just the two of them, adjusting to their new life. With Phelps so frequently on the road, Herman has been living with a family friend for several months.

michael phelps' to-do listLondon Calling: The 14-time gold medal winner is in London, where the 2012 Games will be contested, to be part of the handover ceremony between Beijing and London during today's closing ceremonies.

Ravens, Ravens, Ravens: An unabashed Ravens fan, Phelps wants to score season tickets. Hear that Steve Bisciotti? Plan on seeing Phelps at the home opener on Sept. 7 against the Cincinnati Bengals. Maybe for the coin flip.

Saying Goodbye to Ann Arbor: He and Coach Bob Bowman have to wrap up their homes and business in the home of the University of Michigan. The Wolverines' football team plans to honor them on Sept. 27 when they play Wisconsin.

Parading around: Donald I. Mohler III, a spokesman for the Baltimore County government, said Thursday that tentative plans for the Phelps parade call for the event to take place in September or early October. He said county, city and state officials have held several meetings to work out plans for the parade, and that more details might be available after a meeting early next week with Phelps' agents.

Vacation, all he's ever wanted: Phelps plans to take a long vacation to an exotic island.

Hanging with Herman: Phelps plans some quality time with his English bulldog, Herman.

Building a new NBAC: Along with Bowman, Phelps will be an integral part of expansion plans at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club, which could lead to an Olympic development center for swimmers. With Phelps on board, world-class swimmers will want to train in Baltimore.

Super Sunday: Phelps plans to attend the Super Bowl on Feb. 1 in Tampa, Fla., and he hopes he will be wearing purple and black, saying, "Hopefully the Ravens are there."

Back to work: His five-month break ends in February when he begins training for the world championships in Rome in late July.